Methodological Tools for Developing Professionally Relevant Personal Qualities in Future Early Foreign Language Teachers

Abstract

This article is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the specific characteristics and methodological tools for fostering professionally significant personal qualities in future early childhood educators as they prepare to provide foreign-language education to older preschool-age children.

The relevance of this study stems from current changes in educational legislation and the regulatory requirements of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine regarding the mandatory study of English by older preschool-aged children, which necessitates a fundamental reevaluation of approaches to teacher training [1].

The objective of this article is: to justify the methodological tools for fostering professionally relevant personal qualities in trainee early years educators in the context of their preparation for teaching foreign languages to young children; to demonstrate that the professional and personal development of students within a higher education institution is a complex, integrative task that requires the transformation of the traditional academic environment into an immersive space.

The study utilised a range of theoretical Methods: analysis and synthesis of scientific and pedagogical literature to define the essence of professionally significant qualities; and systematisation and modelling to develop the structure of methodological tools for training future teachers.

As a Result of our research, we have identified the key personal qualities of a future teacher (empathy, creativity, sociability and flexibility) that are essential for effective play-based language teaching. We have developed and described a set of teaching tools based on the principle of mirroring, interactive technologies and simulation modelling for English language lessons for pre-school children. The importance of implementing the principle of mirroring (reflection) in the educational process has been demonstrated; under this principle, the forms, methods and emotional context of a higher education teacher’s activities are directly projected onto the future professional behaviour of graduates. Within the scope of the study, four key components of a future specialist’s professional readiness have been logically and systematically detailed and structured: motivational-value-based, cognitive-creative, communicative and reflective-prognostic. Through the lens of the applied potential of game-based language teaching, their key functions and practical focus in direct interaction with pre-school children are described (regulation of the affective filter, scaffolding, discursive clarity, proactive risk mapping, etc.).

Conclusions. Theoretical generalisations have made it possible to substantiate and propose the implementation of an effective, practice-oriented toolkit in higher education: role-play training in professional decentralisation (Shadowing), reflective digital portfolios in the Notion environment, theatre pedagogy workshops, improvisational case studies of managed unpredictability, linguistic adaptation training (Teacher Talk) and deliberative video review techniques. The methodological tools analysed demonstrate their effectiveness by facilitating a purposeful transition for students from the rote reproduction of theory to the flexible, adaptive and empathetic modelling of a foreign-language play-based environment within the context of a modern pre-school education institution. It has been demonstrated that the targeted implementation of the proposed methodological tools into the process of higher professional education ensures that students are prepared for the compulsory teaching of foreign languages to pre-school children and enhances their overall pedagogical competence.